Deiveson Figueiredo Changes Managers, Expects to Face Dominick Cruz at UFC 294

Former Ultimate Fighting Championship flyweight champ Deiveson Figueiredo is confidently taking the next steps to further his career.

Figueiredo (21-3-1) spoke to Sherdog on Friday about his plans for the future and what will differ following his expected relocation to 135 pounds. The former flyweight king decided that wholesale changes to his life, ranging from getting a new manager to switching camps. “Daico” parted ways with Wallid Ismail in 2022, and his subsequent arrangement with Urijah Faber was not working out the way he expected. According to Figueiredo, the language barrier played a factor.

“…I don’t speak English, [and] I was having a hard time communicating with Urijah Faber, so I decided to start to work with Alex Davis,” Figueiredo told Sherdog. “Urijah Faber is a great person and friend, and he totally understood my point.”

Figueiredo was recently expected to face Manel Kape at flyweight, but when that fell through, the 35-year-old committed to moving up in weight after all. While the fight has not yet been agreed upon by both parties and neither has signed a contract, Figueiredo expects he will be fighting Dominick Cruz in October. The plan is for Figueiredo to shift up to bantamweight at UFC 294 in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.

“I must face Dominick in Abu Dhabi, [in] October, but it’s not signed yet,” Figueiredo said flatly.

Training in the U.S. but also putting time in at various camps in his native country of Brazil, the ex-champ knew it was hard on his family with all this travel and time away. Recently, his wife and son received their visa for the U.S., and his dream of relocating stateside permanently is now in motion. The specific team he will join, however, is still up in the air.

“I’m going to Florida first,” the Brazilian explained. “’Durinho’ [Gilbert Burns] will welcome me there in Kill Cliff. If it works, I’ll pack my bags and go, but my manager Alex Davis is also trying to convince me to go to Vegas where he lives. I’ll decide after I go to both places personally.”

With his sights fairly firmly set on his new division and the challenges that he will face, there is a sliver of hope for those that want to see him stay at flyweight. In particular, one fight would lure him back to 125 pounds: former foe and current champion Alexandre Pantoja.

“I defeated Pantoja back in 2019, [so] if [the] UFC ask[ed] me to stay [at] flyweight to dispute the title with him before facing Dominick, it would be a pleasure to postpone my plans [at] bantamweight to give him that revenge and get my belt back. Because MMA is about matchups, and my game simply doesn’t match up with Pantoja’s,” Figueiredo concluded.